Chocolate Chip Kopi Mug Cake – Coffee & Chocolate Goodness!

Chocolate and coffee is a combination that’s difficult not to love. The clash of sweet and bitter makes flowers bloom, the angels sing and unicorns dance on rainbows – at least, on your palate. Which is why, aside from purist roasters, mocha is a popular drink in chain and hipster café’s all around the country, and, let’s face it, the world. It’s the perfect drink for those who don’t like their coffee straight up. It’s also a popular flavour combination in the dessert world as well, with cakes, brownies, cookies and mousses all dipping their toes in the world of coffee and chocolate.

If chocolate works with coffee, it’s bound to work with kopi too, right? After all, much of our local kopi beans are roasted with sugar, and kopi is regularly paired with condensed milk for that addictive bittersweet combination. Kopi is also a popular ingredients in cakes too, so combining kopi and chocolate and cake is an absolutely logical progression. However, baking a cake requires some effort, and it’s not something you can make on the fly. Well, that’s where mug cakes come in.

We’re not sure who invented the mug cake, but whoever it was that decided to make cakes in mugs you only need a microwave to cook with is a downright genius. Taking queue from the many, many mug cake recipes out there, we put together a chocolate chip kopi mug cake that combines these two incredible flavour profiles into one warm, delicious and blissful mug. Moist, aromatic, and oh-so-good, our chocolate chip kopi mug cake turned out even better than anticipated. It didn’t even have time to cool before all we were left with was an empty mug with nothing but crumbs. And the fact that it only took a few minutes to go from raw ingredients to tummy makes this a thumbs up recipe in our books.

Whip one up the next time a guest drops around. Or, just make one for yourself! Trust us, this chocolate chip kopi mug cake will rock your world.

Ingredients

1 tsp kopi powder

2 tbsp milk

2 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 ½ tbsp granulated sugar

¼ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

¾ tbsp vegetable cooking oil + extra for oiling the mug

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp chocolate chips

Method

In a microwave-safe bowl or mug, microwave milk on high heat for 30 seconds.

Add kopi powder and stir to mix. Set aside and let the coffee steep into the milk.

Kopi powder steeping in the milk

In a separate bowl, add flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Use a whisk to combine the ingredients evenly.

Dry ingredients

Pour the steeped coffee through a fine sieve into the mixed dry ingredients. Don’t worry if a few bits of coffee powder gets into the mixture. Stir with a whisk until thoroughly combined.

Next, add cooking oil and vanilla into the batter and stir with a whisk to mix through.

Add a few drops of oil into a small microwaveable mug. You can either use a brush or a kitchen paper towel to spread the oil, covering all the inner surfaces of the mug. Alternatively, you can also use cooking spray.

Pour the batter into your oiled mug.

Generously sprinkle the top of the batter with chocolate chips. Don’t stir, as this will cause the chocolate chips to sink to the bottom.

Microwave on high heat for 1 minute and 30 seconds.

Let cool for a minute before serving.

Extra tips

Use your favourite brand of kopi kampung for this recipe. If your kopi comes in sachets, steep 1 whole sachet in the milk and don’t forget to squeeze out all the liquid goodness before pouring the steeped coffee into the dry ingredients.

Do not use three-in-one kopi sachets as it already comes premixed with sugar and creamer, which will throw the rest of the recipe ingredients off-balance.

No kopi, only coffee? We’re not sure if it will work, but do give it a try and let us know. You’ll want fine coffee powder for the best outcome. Steeping coffee beans won’t get you much flavour in the short amount of time needed.

Mild flavoured cooking oils work best for this recipe, such as grapeseed, canola or sunflower oil. Leave your olive, sesame or coconut oils for other recipes.

Regular, semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips? All three go well with this recipe. Choose the one you like most!

If you’d like an even spread of chocolate chips throughout your chocolate chip teh tarik mug cake, pour half the batter into the mug first, then sprinkle with half the chocolate chips. After that, pour the remaining batter and top it off with the rest of the chocolate chips.

Microwave mug cakes will harden and become tough and chewy once it cools, so be sure to eat it while it’s still hot!

For extra decadence, serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream. Or both!

It’s good, right? And quite addictive too. Be forewarned though. Excess consumption of chocolate chip kopi mug cake may lead to an increase in waistlines and blood sugar levels. But if you’re well-behaved, the occasional treat should be fine. Share with us your kopi mug cake by tagging your pictures with #butterkicap!

We're just a small group of friends who love food, culture and Malaysia. We saw the rise of mediocre food, deteriorating relationships and missed the good old days of Malaysia where food was good, homes were warmer and full of friends and family. So we rolled up our sleeves, and made Butterkicap with the hope that it will bring people and flavors home.